Beijing cash: Businessman faces charges after allegedly trying to make 'quick buck' spying for China

The magistrate argued Alexander Csergo did not alert Australian officials or authorities to the Chinese request and invited one of the alleged security agents to visit Australia.

If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison, the South China Morning Post reported. Csergo appeared in court via video link from the high-security prison where he remains in custody. Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. 

Defense barrister Bernard Collaery told the court that his client only carried "largely" open-source documents, with authorities from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) confirming that all work on his laptop and WeChat messages were publicly available, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.